violence in 20 years. abc's tahman bradley is joining us from washington, where there's already reaction. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, sunny and john. get ready for a big fight. president obama's proposals to curb gun violence are already being met with enormous opposition from the nra. the nra did not wait for president obama's announcement. overnight, the powerful gun lobby launched a preemptive strike, releasing a provocative video attacking the president's character. >> he's just another elitist hypocrite. >> reporter: the video points out that mr. obama's children have armed protection in school. and asks -- >> why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools? >> reporter: president obama will have to overcome nra opposition and convince congress to pass his measures to curb gun violence. when mr. obama unveils his proposals today, he'll do so flanked by children who wrote letters expressing concern about gun violence. the president will call on congress to ban military-style

assault weapons, limit the number of bullets allowed in a magazine clip, and require background checks on nearly every gun purchase. mr. obama will also take action without congress by executive order. new york state, acted even before the federal government, putting in place the toughest gun control laws in the nation. >> this is a comprehensive bill that addresses the full panorama and spectrum of issues that come up. >> reporter: the new york law would block mentally ill patients from buying weapons and require mental health professional to report any patient they deem to be a significant risk or threat. victims of mass shootings want something similar done on a national level. >> mentally ill people with guns. come on. that's a lethal combination. >> reporter: gun rights advocates are vowing to wage war. former attorney general ed meese even raised the possibility of impeaching president obama if his gun measures go too far. john? sunny?

>> thank you very much. experts are expressing concern over the mental health provisions of the new york law. they fear people who need help will now avoid getting it if it means their names will be made public. one doctor called the law meaningless. and says he expects mental health professionals to ignore it. >> potentially opens up a huge number of patients to the intrusion of the state having their name, knowing that they're in treatment. people who are concerned about their privacy may decide not even to come to treatment in the first place. people with mental illness account for a very small proportion of the violence that's committed. >> but other experts say the law might have made a difference in shootings at virginia tech and colorado. in both cases, the young men received mental health counseling. there's major breaking news this morning from london, where a helicopter crashed during the busy morning commute.

the chopper hit a construction crane on top of a building before plunging to the ground. two people are dead, two others taken to the hospital. one witness reported hearing a massive explosion and seeing at least a few cars on fire. another witness described the scene as, quote, absolute madness and chaos. we'll have a live update, coming up this morning on "good morning america." also breaking overnight, there's been a major setback for the embattled dreamliner. two japanese airlines grounded their boeing 787s overnight, after another troubling incident, an emergency landing in japan. akiko fujita has the latest from tokyo. >> reporter: the latest incident came mid flight aboard this a.n.a. dreamliner. the airline says a battery warning light went off an hour after takeoff. then, came the smell of smoke. the smoke alert finally forced the pilots to make an emergency landing in western japan and evacuate all 137 people onboard, using an emergency chute. hours later, a.n.a. apologized for the incident, saying they

would ground all 17 of its dreamliners indefinitely. rival japan airlines halted all seven of their dreamliners for emergency inspection. the news follows a week riddled with problems for boeing. last monday, a fire broke out aboard a tokyo-bound flight in boston. the next day, a fuel leak. a cracked cockpit window and faulty brake system have grounded several flights in japan. the dreamliner was supposed to be a game-changer for boeing. the company's most fuel-efficient jet with more than 800 orders to date. but just a year after takeoff, the problems have raised serious questions about its safety. the faa has launched its own investigation into the 787. in a statement, the agency said it was monitoring reports of the latest incident in japan and plans to include the information in a comprehensive review of the dreamliner's manufacturing and design. akiko fujita, abc news, tokyo. back here at home, a big

package of federal aid for victims of hurricane sandy is one step closer to becoming available. in a vote last night, the house approved about $50 billion in relief funds. now, the senate must act on the measure. that money is in addition to $10 billion in flood insurance that's already been approved. it is a strange sight across the south. just about everything covered in a thick layer of ice. take a look. freezing rain and sleet glazing over roads from dallas to morn alabama, creating treacherous conditions for drivers. the ice weighed down trees and power lines in huntsville, alabama. but in the southern part of that state, temperatures hovered near the 80-degree mark. >> my, my. time, now, for weather across the nation. heavy rain from the gulf coast into the carolinas, d.c., and philly. rain and sleet around new york city. up to four inches of snow from pittsburgh to boston. light snow around the dakotas, minneapolis and milwaukee. a milder day in the southwest. >> 60s from los angeles to phoenix.

40s in the pacific northwest. just 10 degrees in fargo. 30s across the midwest. and when we come back, fascinating, new findings about autism. the evidence that some children may actually outgrow it. and then, walmart giving a big boost to the made in america movement. and later, charlie sheen's been called a lot of things. soon, you can add grandpa to the list. ♪ i woke up to a feeling

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planning to spend an additional $50 billion over the next ten years to buy more usa-made merchandise, including sporting goods, paper products and games. new retail sales numbers from stores including walmart are in. and they're stronger than expected. retail sales rose a solid 0.5% in december. this is compared to the month before. cars, clothes and furniture did especially well. also on the rise, home prices, jumping 7.4% in november, compared to a year ago. arizona, nevada and idaho, seeing the biggest gains. but they say what goes up must come down. and that's true right now for apple shares. the stock has closed below $500 a share for the first time in almost a year, with investors worried demand for the iphone 5 is cooling off. apple stock is down almost 30% since hitting more than $700 a share in late september. and another tech giant, facebook, has taken the wraps

off its next big thing. the social network is rolling out what it calls graph search, which will put personal information you share into a searchable database. the new tool will let users search for information on what people have shared about places, photos and things they like. a lot of people like dan brown. and now, the author of "the da vinci code" and "angels and demons" has fans, book stores and hollywood buzzing. his new book is called "inferno" will be out in may. there's plenty of money to be made on brown's books. they've sold more than 200 million copies. movie adaptations starring tom hanks has grossed more than $1.2 billion. >> can't wait for that to come out. >> should be good. when we come back, a big, new question about lance armstrong's future, now that we know he was pedaling lies. and then, field of dogs. the soccer match that got some four-legged interference. [ stefan ] with a cold or flu, nighttime nasal congestion

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just how cold has it been across southern california? take a look at this backyard swimming pool in palm springs. the homeowner shocked to find it frozen over. temperatures around the desert resort dipped into the teens. and now, for a look at this morning's road conditions. snow-covered roads from the dakotas to michigan. and in the northeast, from pittsburgh to boston. icy highways around new york city. wet roads from philly to d.c., the carolinas and the gulf coast. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in new orleans. and on the east coast, from atlanta up to boston. and now, that lance armstrong has finished speaking with oprah winfrey, officials at the u.s. anti-doping agency want him to keep talking. >> they say nothing short of a full confession under oath could cause them to reconsider

armstrong's lifetime ban from competitive events. armstrong has been in talks with the anti-doping agency, which has led to speculation he may be able to cooperate and give up names of others who used performance-enhancing drugs. cycling's governing body is also urging armstrong to talk to its investigators. mark sanford launches his political comeback today. you may recall back in 2009, sanford disappeared and later admitted to having an affair with a woman in argentina. today, he's announcing his bid to win back his old seat in congress. well, the president's limo undergoing a subtle but significant change this inauguration weekend. mr. obama's official vehicles will carry the d.c. license plate that reads, taxation without repation. the city protested the voting member in congress. chelsea clinton taking a high-profile role in the inauguration. she is getting americans across the country engaged in their

communities. clinton will be headlining this event at the national mall on saturday. there are important, new clues this morning in the search for an autism cure. new research confirms some children who get an early diagnose know sis can outgrow the disease by the time they were adults. researchers are trying to determine what made the difference in those children's lives. as the flu sweeps across the country, precautions are being taken to keep the virus from becoming the star at the upcoming sundance film festival. as 50,000 visitors pour into park city, utah, this week, the city is handing out bottles of hand sanitizer. there's not enough to go around. so, guests are asked to bring their own. we get the tuesday basketball highlights from espn.

>> doug kezirian here with your? er "sportscenter" update. badgers have won the last ten meetings. early on, jared berdram, the big dunk down the lane and the foul. later, hoosiers down five. cody zeller, nice bounce pass. slams it home. hoosiers down three. later, zoeller, showing the agility. the finger roll and the foul. parents love it. eight of eight from the field. 18 points in the first half. indiana up one at the break. later, mike bruceweitz up deep. thinking upset. trayvon jackson, the pull-up "j." badgers continue their ownership of indiana. to the association. lakers coming off their first win of 2013. hosting milwaukee. steve nash, alley-oop to kobe bryant. lakers by seven at the break.

third quarter, kobe, monta ellis brings it. entering the fourth, l.a. pulls away. chris duhon. an 11-point lead. kobe likes it. later, dwight howard. 14 of 18 from the field. 31 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks. back-to-back strong games since returning from injury. kobe, baseline fadeaway. he had 31. lakers have won two-straight. of course, the next test is a truer test, hosting the defending champion miami heat on thursday. have a great day. well, who let the dogs out? seriously. that was a question they were asking when these pooches interrupted a soccer match in turkey. one of them getting ahold of a fan's hat. >> they made themselves at home on the field greeting players. and weren't in a rush to leave. the grounds keepers carried the

dogs off. good luck they didn't leave presents on the field. there's parents awake right now with the crying newborns. here's an idea for you. >> this video is going viral right now. that's benjamin being rocked by the do it yourself auto rocker. the secret is a variable speed drill running at its lowest setting. >> it can be used with car seats with a few modifications. the march of technology. he looks quite happy. i want to get one of those for my living room. i think i would be happy, as well. >> i agree. he does look very happy. >> cutie pie. well, coming up next is "the pulse." and bill clinton offers up some surprising predictions about how long hillary will live. and believe it or not, charlie sheen's lived long enough to hear the words, you're going to be a grandpa. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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and now, it's time to check "the pulse," stories you'll be talking about today. and now, the secretary of state hillary clinton is home and feeling better, her husband's doing a little bit of talking. >> the former president says never mind her concussion and blood clot. his wife is going to live a long time and a lot longer than he will. >> i tell her that, you know, she still has time to have three more husbands after me. i think she'll live to be 120. and i always know that she's thinking about that whenever i am stubborn about something in her constant quest at my self-improvement. she refers to me as her first

husband. >> all right. he says hillary's recent hospital stay was her second one ever. the first when she had chelsea. >> she's a healthy, healthy lady. speaking of second acts, charlie sheen is taking on a new role. the winning actor is going to be a grandpa. yes, you heard right. his daughter, cassandra, is expecting. and sheen says the news made him feel like the world had cracked in half. jimmy fallon tried to imagine the relationship. >> this is grandpa. you have to calm things down a bit. right? >> how? >> in front of the kid. >> in front of the kid, of course. >> one of you has to be strolled home at the end of the evens. >> we will no doubt hear much more about this latest development when charlie sheen joins the "gma" crew later this morning. >> imagine he would be a fun

grandpa. maybe too fun. an ebay thinks that a $2,500 dress is attracting atension around the world because the seller offered something else in the photo. >> this british woman posted this picture of her bright, yellow dress. you see her on the left, wearing the black bra and nothing else. and the woman said she didn't realize she was in the picture. >> i guess she looked real quick and didn't see it. >> the posting went viral after the picture was shared on twitter. the bidding is up to nearly $250,000. >> i can't believe that. >> it could have been worse. we did blacken that out. she's showing the goods. >> that would happen. >> a little embarrassing. i would check my pictures extra careful. some of you have the local news coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be right back with an artist that's a portrait of determination. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us.

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>> abc7 news tarts right now with like breaking news. >> 4:28 on wednesday morning. i eric thomas. >> in london a helicopter crash in the middle of the city killed at least two and injured nine during the morning rush hour. the helicopter hit a construction crane on the top of a high-rise. the site is south of the thames near the main line train station and the british spy agency. there was wreckage burning in the street with a line of flaming fuel and debris. also, a large plume of smoke. it was great and there were low clouds. >> there and a massive explosion, unbelievable, like something from a film and the fire that went 25 yards over here and you for a few seconds you are stunned because you have

no clue. >> police will not speculate on a cause but the bbc is reporting the pilot was diverting a landing because of bad weather. the bbc reports that terrorism does not appear likely. >> that could be the first thought that jumps in your ahead. >> 4:29, feeling like terrorism with the cold but we will town -- turn the corner. mike? >> it will be warmer in the afternoon. the afternoons, the temperatures will climb and we will bring up the temperatures in the morning. good morning, everyone. here is live doppler 7 hd and you can notice the dry air waiting outside. we talked of the possibility of frost inland and we have temperatures in the frosty range. 30 anchored cover and 31 at livermore, 29 in santa rosa, 29 in novato with no frost at bay shore with temperatures to 43 in

san francisco. today, we are back to average with mid-50's at the coast and mid-50's to near 60 around the bay and inland. >> happy wednesday, everyone, hump day. very light traffic conditions. overnight road work still out there. eastbound four, left lane until 6:00 this morning. the westbound commute direction is looking good from antioch. northbound 101 there is road work through strawberry in the right lane until 6:00 this morning. southbound 880 we have various lanes blocked with road work. north 85 in mount vein view a lane is blocked with clear sailing on the golden gate bridge and no work there. >> we have developing news from the south bay where parents say a man tried to kidnap a toddler from her mother's arms. abc7 reporter is live in san jose on the